Ramadan 2022: UAE foundation launches call for donations without using images of suffering

Sharjah’s The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF) has launched a call for donations for the holy month of Ramadan, but this time, the humanitarian organisation is moving hearts in a different way. No haunting images of trauma, poverty and suffering will be used.

This Ramadan, TBHF wanted to send a clear message: Respecting the privacy and dignity of refugees and people in need is a humanitarian act equal to providing them with food, healthcare and education.

Instead of capturing the attention of potential donors with harrowing images and stories of the less fortunate, the campaign called ‘Who Am I’ will “tell the stories of refugees and people in need through familiar faces who choose to support them”, said Mariam Al Hammadi, director of TBHF.

The campaign, to be led by changemakers, thought leaders, artists and influencers, stresses that people do not necessarily need to see them in pain or misery to extend financial support.

Among the targeted beneficiaries of the drive are refugees and people in need across several countries, including Lebanon, Palestine, and at the Big Heart Educational Centre in the UAE.

The Zakat and donations that will be raised will be used for specific humanitarian projects in the sectors of food, healthcare, and education. The campaign’s proceeds will go entirely towards funding the execution of these projects.

Contributions will help fund scholarships for speech- and hearing-impaired children in The Big Heart school in the Palestinian city of Qalqilya. Also, undergraduate students at the Faculty of Medicine in Gaza will receive scholarships to fulfil their dreams of becoming doctors.

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In Lebanon, charitable donations will be utilised to offer surgeries and healthcare to children impacted by war and disasters. In other countries where many residents lack some of the necessities of life, including drinking water and food, the donations will go towards alleviating hunger and providing them access to clean, safe water.

At ‘The Big Heart Educational Centre’ in the UAE, the campaign will seek to provide new learning opportunities for children and adults who had to leave school and flee their home countries because of conflicts and crises.

• Sharjah